The lush capital on island dubbed ‘Hawaii of Europe’ that’s 21C in December

Ahead of increasingly loud murmurs about snow and freezing temperatures setting in next week, anyone could be forgiven for dreaming about escaping to sunnier climes – and dodging peak tourist season to boot.

Those with a bit of extra cash – and annual leave – to spare could make a beeline for Cancun or the Canary Islands, or they could head somewhere a little closer to home – an island that has been dubbed the “Hawaii of Europe” and is just a four-hour flight from London.

Sitting just 500km off the African coast and 450km north of the Canary Islands, Madeira is famous for being the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo though, confusingly, not the English cake seemingly named after it.

The Portugal archipelago is made up of four islands – Madeira, Porto Sando, Desertas and Selvagens – and makes for the perfect winter escape, with temperatures of around 20C well into December.

The Met Office says the island group typically gets about six hours of sunshine during the winter months and averages a maximum of 21C, though the climate varies drastically in its more mountainous regions, depending on altitude.

Even off-season, the densely-populated island can be a bit packed out, especially after it went viral on TikTok, Instagram and X as a beautiful oceanic holiday spot rivalling tropical destinations further afield.

It also shares a timezone with the UK – so none of your days off would be wasted playing catch-up to jet-lag.

Capital island Madeira, in particular, packs a range of sights and activities into its modestly-sized landmass, ideal for those not content with catching some rays and stoking the envy of friends back at home.

Among these are hiking to the top of Pico Ruivo, visiting the tropical gardens of the island’s Monte Palace and touring local vineyards to learn about the region’s winemaking history.

Madeira’s famous tipple was exported to England in the 1800s and popularly served with lemon and almond-flavoured madeira cake, inspiring its otherwise unrelated name.